Burning apparatus



Nov. 2, 1965 H. HOSKINSON 3,

BURNING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 7, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR GORDON H.HOSKINSON AGENT Nov. 2, 1965 1-]. HOSKINSON BURNING APPARATUS 3Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 7, 1963 INVENTOR GORDON H- HOSKINSON AGENTNov. 2, 1965 e. H. HOSKINSON 3,215,101

BURNING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 7, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR GORDON H-HOSKINSON AGENT Unite States Patent G 3,215,101 BURNING APPARATUS GordonHillis Hoskinson, 186 Mayfair Ave., Floral Park, N.Y. Filed Nov. 7,1963, Ser. No. 322,578 14 Claims. (Cl. 110-8) The present inventionrelates to burning apparatus, and more particularly, to burningapparatus of the class known as incinerator apparatus of a new and novelconstruction, and is capable of burning in large volume all types ofrubbish, waste material and the like, regardless of their condition, ina more efiicient manner than heretofore possible, and also makespossible the utilization of heat generated by the burner for otheruseful purposes.

Fire burning apparatus of the type designated as incinerators have beenemployed for a great many years as a means for disposing of trash,rubbish, waste material, and the like, but has possessed a great manydisadvantages. For example, prior incinerator units emit a considerableamount of heavy smoke and other obnoxious waste products of combustioninto the atmosphere which are quite hazardous to the health of thecommunity in general. Moreover, such waste products of combustion alsocreate an economical problem with respect to maintenance of property ingeneral in the area where the material is burned due to the fact thatsuch products of combustion not only soil virtually everything withwhich they come into contact, but also tend to enhance or hasten thedeterioration of the physical property nearby.

The waste products of combustion generated during the burning of wastematerial are in the form of unburned carbon which gives rise to theheavy, dark smoke as well as gases and other obnoxious vapors which aregenerated during the burning operation. The large amount of carbonpresent in the waste products of combustion, and the generated gases,vapors, and the like is due to the incomplete or inefficient combustionduring the actual burning of the materials. The failure to insurecomplete combustion of the carbon and like gases may be due to thedesign and structure of the incinerator itself, or may be the result ofinsufficient heat in the burning zone to effect an efficient operation,or an uncontrolled or improper amount of oxygen in the burning zone toeffect the desired degree of combustion, or a combination of all threeof the foregoing.

Another disadvantage possessed by prior incinerators and like apparatusis that such units capable of burning a large volume of waste materialare extremely expensive in initial cost as well as upkeep, and yet arequite inefficient in operation. Moreover, prior incinerators capable ofburning a large volume of waste material are so designed and operate insuch a manner that excessive residue remains after burning and cannot bereadily removed. This results oftentimes in a shut-down of theincinerator with a corresponding cooling thereof in order to permit acleaning out of the unit before further burning can be effected.

Still another problem with prior incinerators is that the heat generatedby the incinerator during the burning of the waste material is totallylost. There has been a long need in industrial plants, commercialestablishments of all types, and the like for an incinerator which canbe utilized to effect the burning of the desired waste material and yetalso can utilize the heat generated for other purposes. Such priorincinerators, due to the inefiiciency of operation and the wasteproducts of combustion generated, have not been capable of beingemployed in such a manner.

Considerable time, effort, and money have been and are being expended inan effort to solve this problem.

Most solutions have been directed to redesigning the apparatus orproviding auxiliary units which will permit a further burning of thewaste products of combustion prior to passing the gases to theatmosphere. However, such secondary burning has not been completelysuccessful since it has been found virtually impossible to remove allobjectionable waste products of combustion prior to exhausting same withprior incinerator constructions. The reason for this is that the airpresent in or supplied to the incinerator during the initial burning ofthe waste material is in large amounts and functions as overair burningof the trough or the like. As a result, the Waste products of combustionare airborne and result in an excessive volume of waste products whichare passed to the secondary burning zone or auxiliary unit for bumingthereof. While considerable carbon may be burned in the auxiliary zone,it is impossible to eifect a complete burning thereof due to the largevolume of the waste products of combustion and spent air passingtherethrough. As a result, while the smoke may be materially lessened incarbon content and therefore appear much lighter when exhausted, thepresence of carbon is observable, as well as fly ash and other obnoxiousand objectionable gases likewise being present. As a result,

most communities have enacted stringent laws relative to the burning ofrubbish, refuse, industrial waste and the like within the communities.Such laws and control have resulted in such material being transportedto remote or isolated areas outside the communities to be burned. Thispractice obviously is costly and becomes burdensome financially to manysmall business men.

In the elimination of the foregoing and related disadvantages, it istherefore a principal object of the present invention to provide aburning unit for disposal of waste material of a new and novel structurepossessing a more efiicient operation than heretofore capable with priorapparatus.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a burnerunit for disposing of waste material that is extremely simple in designand construction, low in cost, and requires virtually no upkeep.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of aburning apparatus that does not permit the emission of obnoxious wasteproducts of combustion to the outside atmosphere during its operation,regardless of the material being burned.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of aburning apparatus which will insure a substantially complete combustionof the objectionable waste products of combustion wherein the productsemitted therefrom to the atmosphere will not be in a harmful orobjectionable state.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a burningunit wherein the waste products of combust-ion generated therein will beconsumed prior to the emission of same to the outside atmosphere.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of aburning unit for waste material which can function both as a heatingunit as well as a trash or waste disposal unit.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of burningapparatus for waste material in which the heat generated therein may beutilized for other purposes.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a burningunit that can be employed to burn a large Volume of waste material in anefiic-ient manner.

A, further object of the present invention is the provision of burningapparatus for burning waste material in which the air present therein isin an amount far less than heretofore thought possible.

Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of burningapparatus in which the air employed therein is present in carefullycontrolled amounts.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision ofburning apparatus in which the air is supplied therein in a new andnovel manner.

Yet a further object of the present invention is the provision ofburning apparatus in which there is no excessive air present to supportand carry off the waste products of combustion in large volume.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision ofburning apparatus in which the over-thefire air system is not employed.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of burningapparatus that is capable of burning all forms of fire consumable wastematerial regardless of their state and without any pre-treatmentthereof, such as drying.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of burningapparatus that effects a far greater consumption of waste material withvirtually no residue remaining.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision ofburning apparatus for burning waste material that may be employed in anyarea, neighborhood, or the like without objection thereto from theimmediate residents.

Other and additional objects will become manifest from the ensuingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Broadly stated, the burner unit made in accordance with the presentinvention comprises an air-tight, fire resistant, metal casing, a doormeans secured to one end of said casing for access thereinto, an airinlet pipe mounted within said casing along each side edge thereofadjacent the floor thereof, each of said pipes having a plurality ofhorizontally spaced apertures for feeding air in the direction of thefloor of said casing, means for passing air from the exterior of saidcasing into said air inlet pipes, and exhaust stack means secured to thetop of said casing and extending upwardly therefrom in verticalrelationship, said exhaust stack means including an inner stack memberconnected to said casing, fuel means secured to the lower end of saidinner stack member, air inlet means secured to said inner stack memberadjacent said fuel means, outer stack means connected to said innerstack member and circumferentially spaced therefrom forming a verticalpassageway therebetween, the lower end of said outer stack member beingopen and spaced just above said casing to permit air to pass upwardly inthe vertical passageway, the upper free end of said outer stackterminating substantially above the upper free end of said inner stackmember.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the presentinvention then consists of the -meanshereinafter fully described andparticularly pointed out in the claims, the annexed drawing and thefollowing description setting forth in detail certain means in thecarrying out of the invention, such disclosed means illustrating,however, but one of various ways in which the principle of the inventionmay be employed.

The present invention is illustrated, by way of example, in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation partly in cross-section of a waste materialburning apparatus made in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the waste material buming apparatus shownin FIG. 1 with the outer exhaust stack removed.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on lines 33 of FIG. 1 with theouter stack removed.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged front elevation of the blower and controlcomponents employed in the operation of the material burning apparatusmade in accordance with the present invention.

Reference is now to be had to the drawings, and with particularreference to FIGS. 1-3 wherein a waste material burning apparatus orunit generally designated by reference numeral 10 is shown. The burningunit 10, as illustrated, comprises an inner casing, generally designatedby reference numeral 11, which is generally elongated along its majoraxis and oval in cross-section along its minor axis, as shown in FIG. 3.While this configuration of the inner casing 10 is particularlypreferred from a standpoint of ease of operation and efficiency, it isto be understood that the inner casing can be of other configuration,such as, for example, rectilinear, and still perform satisfactorily.

The inner casing 11 includes side Walls 12 and 13 joined to one anotherat their top ends by an integral curved top wall 14 and at their bottomends by an integral curved bottom wall 15. The inner casing 11 has arear wall 16, oval in configuration, secured by any suitable means, suchas, for example, welding, bolting, or the like. Alternatively, the rearwall 16 may be integral with the side and top and bottom walls of theinner casing 11, if desired. The advantage of having the rear wall 16mounted in a non-integral state is that it will permit two or morecasings to be assembled in end to end relationship to provide a burningunit of increased capacity, if so desired. Thus, such a constructionmakes it possible to satisfy a users need, with only one basic innerunit of one size being manufactured regardless of the requestedcapacity. In any event, the rear wall 16 must be in completely air-tightrelationship with the side, top, and bottom walls of the inner casing 1.

The inner casing 11 may be made of any suitable metal that willwithstand the high heat generated therein. For example, the inner casing11 may be made of steel, steel alloys, heat resistant iron, and thelike. A hearth 17 is provided for the inner casing 11 in the form offire retardant or resistant material on the curved bottom wall 17, asshown in FIG. 3. It is preferred, as illustrated, that the hearth 17 bea castable refractory material of high strength having its top surfaceconcave in configuration. To provide anchoring means for the hearth 17,when cast, angle plates 18 may be secured to the bottom wall 15 atsuitable points by welding or the like. Suitable examples of refractorymaterial capable of withstanding high, intense, and prolongedtemperatures are fused silica, fire clay, fused alumina, fusedrefractory materials, kaolin refractory material, magnesite, mulite,refractory silicon, carbide, etc. While it is preferred that the hearth17 be formed by casting in order to provide a smooth concave hearthsurface, it is possible to form the hearth 17 by utilizing refractorymaterial in brick or block form and still achieve a satisfactory hearthconstruction.

To .provide the necessary supports for the inner casing 11 to raise samefrom the floor, ground, or the like, a front wall plate 19 and a rearwall plate 20 are secured to the respective ends of the inner casing 11.The front and rear wall plates 19 and 20 are generally rectangular inconfiguration and are curved at the top with the outside dimension ofeach being greater than the outside dimension of the inner casing 11.The front plate 19 has an oval corresponding with the oval configurationof the inner casing 11, with the remainder thereof forming a framingplate. With regard to the rear wall plate 20, if the rear Wall 16 of theinner casing 11 is non-integral therewith, the rear wall 16 may be of asize corresponding to the front plate 19 such that there will be aperimetral flange portion extending around the rear of the inner casing11. The bottom free end of each of the wall .plates 19 and 20 isprovided with foot plates 21 and 22, respectively, to insure propersupport.

A door assembly, generally designated by reference numeral 23, ishingedly secured by means of hinges 24 to one side of the front wallplate 19 and functions to seal the inner casing 11 and render samecompletely air-tight. The door assembly 23 includes a main door 25 thatis generally oval in configuration and is of a size greater than theoval configuration of the inner casing 11. An asbestos or similarrefractory insulation sealing ring 26 is secured around the inside faceof the perimetral edge of main door 25 and functions to insure anair-tight relationship between the inner casing and the door assembly.Locking latches 27 of any suitable design or construction are provided,as shown, to insure a tight locking of the door 23. The main door 25 isprovided with a rectangular opening in the upper part thereof to providemeans for feeding material to be burned without opening the main door. Afeed door 23 is hingedly secured along one side by means of hinges 29 tothe main door 25 and functions to seal the rectangular opening in themain door 25. The feed door 28 has a sealing insulating ring 36 on itsinside face around its perimetral edge to aid in rendering the innercasing 11 air-tight. The feed door 28 is locked in sealed relationship.The lower portion of the main door 25 is provided with a small openingadjacent its lower opening to provide air draft means, if neeeded, inthe initial start up of the burning unit 10. A cover 32 is mounted bymeans of a pivot pin 33 to the main door 25 and functions to cover andseal off the air draft opening during the normal operation of theburning unit 10.

To provide necessary protection against the heat generated in the innercasing 11 and transmitted to the walls thereof, a shield assembly,generally designated by reference numeral 34, surrounds the inner casing11 in spaced relation therewith. The shield assembly 34 is open alongits bottom edge and top edge to provide a vertical passageway on eachside of the inner casing 11 to insure a continuous passage of coolingair therearound. The shield assembly 34 includes a pair of sheet metalmembers 35 and 36 which are positioned on each side of the inner casing11 respectively in spaced relation, as shown in FIG. 3. The forward endof each sheet metal member 35 and 36 is secured to each side of thefront wall member 19 respectively by any suitable means, such as, forexample, riveting, screws, bolts, or the like. The bottom edge of eachof the sheet metal members 35 and 36 is spaced above the bottom edge ofthe front wall member 19 to provide an adequate bottom opening for theair to pass upward. The top free edge of each of the sheet metal members35 and 36 terminates at a point short of the top of front wall member19, resulting in the top free ends thereof being arcuately spaced fromone another forming a longitudinal passageway extending above the top ofthe inner casing 11. Each of the sheet metal members 35 and 36 extendsrearwardly from each side edge of the front wall member 19, and issecured to the respective side edges of the rear wall plates 26 in thesame manner as the front ends are to the front wall plate 19. Ifdesired, bracing rods 36a may be secured between the sheet metal members35 and 36 and the inner casing 11. Auxiliary sheet metal members 37 and38 of a height less than the sheet metal members 35 and 36 are securedto the lower portion of each side edge of the rear wall member 29 andextend rearwardly therefrom for a distance substantially equal to thespacing between the inner casing 11 and the sheet metal members 35 and36. A back sheet metal member 40 is secured along each side edge to thefree end of each of the auxiliary sheet metal members 37 and 38 byriveting, screws, bolts, or the like, thereby forming a protectiveshield at the rear of the inner casing 11.

A control mounting casing, generally designated by reference numeral 41,is secured to the rear wall 20 immediately above the back sheet metalmember 49 and extends rearwardly therefrom. The control mounting casing41 includes a base frame 42 and an arcuate shield portion 43 conformingin configuration to the curvature of the side sheet metal members 35 and36. A drop cover member 44 is secured along its bottom edge by means ofhinges 45 to the free end of the base frame 42. The drop cover member 44is provided with a handle and latch mechanism 46 to provide means forlocking same to the arcuate shield portion 43. The controls positionedin casing 11 will be described more fully hereinafter.

To provide means for imparting air in a controlled and particular mannerto the inner casing 11 to support combustion therein, a pair of airpipes 47 and 48 of a length substantially of the same length as theinner casing 11 are disposed therein. Each of the pipes 47 and 48 isdisposed in horizontal relationship along the inner bottom edge of theside walls 12 and 13, respectively, just above the hearth 17. Theforward ends of the pipes 47 and 48 are closed, with the opposite end ofeach of the pipes 47 and 48 being secured to a cross-header pipe 49mounted in horizontal relationship along the inner face of the lower endof the rear wall 16. The air pipes 47 and 48 are held in place withinthe inner casing 11 by means of strap hanger 50. Each of the pipes 47and 48 is provided with a plurality of small openings positioned alongthe length of each pipe in horizontally spaced relationship. Theopenings 50 are directed inwardly and downwardly to insure the directionof the air downwardly and inwardly toward the hearth 17. In this manner,during the burning of waste material therein the air supportingcombustion will be provided only at the bottom or hearth area, with noover-the-fire air being provided.

To provide the necessary air, the header pipe 49 is connected in itsmedial area to one end of a pipe nipple 52 which extends outside of theinner casing 11. The other end of the pipe nipple 52 is connected to oneend of a vertical duct or pipe 53 disposed along the outside face of therear wall 16 or rear plate 20. The opposite end of the air duct or pipe53 extends into the control mounting casing 41, where it is connected toa forced draft blower B mounted on the base frame 42. The blower B isgenerally of conventional design and requires no detailed description.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an illustrative embodiment of an exhaust stackassembly, generally designated by reference numeral 60, of the wasteburning apparatus 10 is shown therein. The exhaust stack assemblyincludes a first pipe segment or element made of fire resistant metalwhich is secured by welding or the like to the inner face of the backwall 16 of the inner casing 11 adjacent its top and in alignment withthe control mounting casing 41. The first pipe segment 61 has itsforward lower end cut away to provide an upwardly angled face tofacilitate the upward draft movement of the waste products of combustionthereinto. Air in a quantity sufiicient to induce a good draft andsupport the burning of the waste products of combustion may be suppliedto the pipe segment 61 to be mixed with the waste products of combustionthereinto. The air may be passed thereinto through an air diffuserpositioned in the pipe segment 61 from the air duct 53 or throughanother opening in the back wall 16 or back plate member 20.

Positioned above the pipe segment 61 in axial alignment therewith is aninner stack member 62 which extends through an opening in the top wallof the inner casing 11, and is secured by welding or the like thereto.The inner stack member 62 extends above the inner casing 11 in rightangle relationship thereto for a height sufficient to permit the wasteproducts of combustion to be passed therethrough and be burned thereinin a manner to be more fully described hereinafter. A fuel nozzle 63 ismounted in the control mounting housing 41 and extends through anopening in the back wall member 16 and into an opening in the lower endof the inner stack member 62. The fuel nozzle 63 is positioned in anupwardly inclined relationship to insure an upward draft of the flame.The fuel nozzle 63 may be in the form an airfuel assembly which willprovide all of the air necessary to support the burning of the wasteproducts of combustion. Under such circumstances, therefore, it would beunnecessary to feed air into the pipe segment 61. The fuel nozzle 63 isconnected at its opposite end through piping to a fuel source (notshown) which may be either a gas fuel or liquid fuel. To effect theignition of the fuel, a spark igniter 64 is connected at one end to apower source P and with the opposite end extends through the back wallmember 16 with the fuel nozzle 63 and into the inner exhaust stack 62.

The construction just described with respect to the lower end of theinner stack member 67 defines an initial or first burning zone for thewaste products of combustion. This burning results in a material burningor otherwise partially converting the waste products of combustiongenerated by the burning of the waste material. However, such productsof combustion still are not in a state that they can be passed to theatmosphere without creating problems. Thus, in order to accomplish thisdesired result of rendering the ultimate waste products of combustioninto a suitable state in which they can be expended into the outsideatmosphere, a second burning zone will be necessary to effect a furtherburning of the waste products of combustion before such products can bepassed to the atmosphere.

To provide the second burning zone, an outer stack member 65 is securedto the inner stack 62 above the first burning zone therein and extendsupwardly therefrom in spaced enveloping relationship wtih respect to theinner stack member 62. The outer stack member 65 may be made of the samemetal as the inner stack 62 and is secured thereto in spacedrelationship by means of connecting rods 66 extending therethrough atvarious convenient points. The outer stack member 65 extends upwardlyand beyond the upper outlet or free end 67 of the inner stack member 62and constitutes a final exit stack for the ultimate waste products ofcombustion. The outer stack member 65 is spaced circumferentially fromthe inner stack member 62 for a distance sufficient to provide acircumferential air channel or passageway therebetween in which freshair will rise vertically. Thus, the formed air channel therebetween willprovide the air at the terminal or exit end 67 of the inner stack member62, with this zone just above the terminal end constituting the secondburning zone to effect the final burning of the waste products ofcombustion such that they can be emitted to the atmosphere in completelysafe and substantially clean state.

In order to provide a suitable second burning zone, the inner stackmember 62 must be of a sufficient height such that the air passagewayformed between the inner stack member 62 and the outer stack member 65will be sufiiciently long to effect a proper heat transfer between theheat generated by the burning of the products of combustion in the firstburning zone in the inner stack member 62 in order to heat the airpassing upwardly therearound to such a temperature that self-ignitionwill be possible between the waste products of combustion passing fromthe exit end 67 of the inner stack member 62 and the incoming airconverging therewith at the exit end thereof. Thus, the outer stackmember 65 must not be spaced from the inner stack member 62 at too greata distance such that the volume of air passing upwardly therebetween inthe formed air passage will be too large in volume to be heated. Thespacing should be sufficient to permit a volume of air thereinsufficient to support the further burning of the waste products ofcombustion, but will be of a volume insufficient to receive the heattransferred from the inner stack member 62 such that the air will not beheated to the required temperature. From the foregoing, it is believedobvious that the inner stack member 62 must be of a length and diameterand the outer stack member 65 must be so spaced with respect theretothat the heat transfer between the inner stack member 62 and the volumeof air passing upwardly therebetween will be effected such that when theair passes above the terminal or exit end 67 of the inner stack member62, the air will admix with the waste products of combustion and will beat a temperature such that the admixture will immediately ignite therebyeffecting the desired further burning of the waste products ofcombustion. In the general operation of the stack unit just described,the effect of the further burning or conversion of the waste products ofcombustion in the second burning zone results in the final products ofcombustion being placed in a condition such that they can be passed tothe atmosphere in a completely safe and unobjectionable state.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the control housing member 41 is shown thereinto illustrate the controls to be employed in the present invention. Asillustrated, the blower B is connected to one side of a double switch S,the switch S being, in turn, connected to a transformer T connected to apower source (not shown). The other side of the double switch S isconnected to a gas control solenoid G of fuel line F and functions tofeed the gas into the inner stack member 62. The spark igniter 64 isconnected through a line to the transformer T. If desired, theelectrical circuitry may be provided with timer mechanism toautomatically shut off some or all of the control mechamsm.

In the operation of the burning apparatus 10, the inner casing 11 isloaded with waste material to be burned. This material may be dry,moist, or wet, and can be burned efficiently in the apparatus 10 withoutmeans of fuel added thereinto. The waste material is ignited and theinner casing 11 made airtight and air is fed thereinto in a controlledamount through the orifice 51 of the pipes 50 in a downward and inwarddirection toward the hearth 17. This results in the burning of the trashin the immediate vicinity of the hearth l7, and thus the burning isupwardly from the bottom with no over-the-fire air being supplied. Theburning of the trash in this manner results in the hearth 17 becomingquite hot and remaining in this state throughout any burning. Thus alarge amount of air is not necessary to support the burning of the trashand the like. Moreover, burning in this manner will result in heat andwaste products of combustion passing upwardly through the waste materialmass to effectively dry same into a readily combustible state.

The amount of air to be fed into the inner casing 11 through pipes 47and 48 should be just sufficient to support the burning in anon-over-the-fire relationship. Thus the waste products of combusiongenerated in the inner casing 11 will be the only material to beexhausted rather than waste products of combustion dispersed with alarge volume of spent air, as is the case with most incinerators.Therefore, this operation in and of itself tends to lessen the amount ofwaste products that would normally be expended into the atmosphere.

As the waste products of combustion generated in the inner casing 11pass upwardly, the fuel nozzle 63 is turned on with an amount of freshair being present just sufficient to effect the burning of the wasteproducts in the first burning zone in the lower end of the inner stackmember 62. The remaining portion of the waste products of combustion ina very hot state passes upwardly in the inner stack member 62 and heatssame to a high degree. Fresh air enters at the bottom end of the outerstack member 65 and is drawn upwardly in the circumferential passagewayformed by the spacing of the outer stack member 65 from the inner stackmember 62. As the air passes upwardly, it is heated by heat exchangerelationship with the inner stack member 62 to a high level until itmerges with the waste products of combustion exiting from the terminalend 67 of the inner stack member 62. Upon the mixing of the heated freshair with the remaining waste products of combustion in the outer stackmember 65 above the exit end 67 of the inner stack member 62, aself-ignition of the mixture occurs. This results in the formation of asecond burning zone in which a complete burning of the remaining wasteproducts of combustion occurs therein. The resulting gases, which arenow free of carbon and other obnoxious products passes to the atmosphereout through the terminal upper end of the outer stack member 65.

As hereinbefore indicated, the sheet metal members 35 and 36 of theshield assembly 34 terminate at their upper end in spaced relation,forming a longitudinal passageway. As illustrated, the formed passagewayis shielded by a top shield member 70 secured at its respectivelongitudinal edges to cross-pieces 71, which are connected to bracingrods 72 mounted on the inner casing 11. However, the formed passagewaymay be utilized to receive a heat exchange therein through which wasteproducts of combustion may be passed to heat fresh air blowtherethrough. The heated air can then be utilized to heat any desiredarea. Such a heat exchange assembly and its operation is disclosed in myUnited States Patent No. 3,044,460.

While there have been described herein what are at present consideredpreferred embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to thoseskilled in the art that modifications and changes may be made thereinwithout departing from the essence of the invention. It is therefore tobe understood that the exemplary embodiments are illustrative and notrestrictive of the invention, the scope of which is defined in theappended claims, and that all modifications that come within the meaningand range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be includedtherein.

I claim:

1. A burning unit for disposing waste material comprising an elongatedair-tight casing member defining the combustion zone of said burningunit, pipe means mounted inside of said casing member along each sideadjacent the lower end thereof and extending substantially the axiallength thereof, said pipe means having a plurality of horizontallyspaced apertures for directing air downwardly and inwardly toward thebottom of said casing member, means for supplying exterior air to saidinteriorly positioned pipe means and exhaust stack means secured to thetop of said casing member for carrying off the waste products ofcombustion, said exhaust stack means including means for effecting thesequential burning of the waste products of combustion in two verticallyspaced burning zones within said stack means.

2. A burning unit for disposing Waste material comprising an elongatedair-tight casing member defining the combustion zone of said burningunit, door means secured to one end of said casing member for accessthereinto, shield means mounted in spaced relation around said casingmember, pipe means mounted inside of said casing member along each sideadjacent the lower end thereof and extending substantially the axiallength thereof, said pipe means having a plurality of horizontallyspaced apertures for directing air downwardly and inwardly toward thebottom of said casing member, means for supplying exterior air to saidinteriorly positioned pipe means and exhaust stack means secured to thetop of said casing member for carrying oif the waste products ofcombustion, said exhaust stack means including means for effecting thesequential burning of the waste products of combustion in two verticallyspaced burning zones within said stack means.

3. A burning unit for disposing waste material comprising an elongatedair-tight casing member defining the combustion zone of said burningunit, hearth means secured to the bottom of said casing member, doormeans secured to one end of said casing member for access thereinto,shield means mounted in spaced relation around said casing member, pipemeans mounted inside of said casing member in close proximity to saidhearth means and along each side adjacent the lower end thereof andextending substantially the axial length of said casing member and saidhearth means, said pipe means having a plurality of horizontally spacedapertures for directing air downwardly and inwardly toward the bottom ofsaid casing member,

1 means for supplying exterior air to said interiorly positioned pipemeans, and exhaust stack means secured to the top of said casing memberfor carrying off the waste products of combustion, said exhaust stackmeans including means for efiecting the sequential burning of the wasteproducts of combustion in two vertically spaced burning zones withinsaid stack means.

4. A burning unit for disposing waste material comprising an elongated,air-tight casing member defining the combustion zone of said burningunit, hearth means secured to the bottom of said casing member, doormeans secured to one end of said casing member for providing accessthereinto, shield means mounted in spaced relation around said casingmember, pipe means mounted inside of said casing member in closeproximity to said hearth means and along each side adjacent the lowerend thereof and extending substantially the axial length of said casingmember and said hearth means, said pipe means having a plurality ofhorizontally spaced apertures for directing air downwardly and inwardlyin the direction of said hearth means, means for supplying exterior airto said interiorly positioned air supply means, and exhaust stack meanssecured to said casing member at the top thereof and extending upwardlyin a vertical direction for carrying off the waste products ofcombustion, said exhaust stack means including an inner stack membersecured at one end to said casing member and an outer stack memberhaving its bottom free end positioned upwardly and free from said casingmember and being secured in circumferentially spaced relation to saidinner stack member thereby defining a vertical air passage therebetween,fuel means and air means adjacent the lower end of said inner means toignite the waste products of combustion in the lower end of said innerstack member and to constitute a first burning zone and the wasteproducts of combustion existing from said inner stack member mixing withheated air rising in the formed vertical air passage being burnedthereabove in the outer stack member to constitute the second burningzone.

5. A burning unit for disposing waste material comprising an elongated,air-tight casing member defining the combustion zone of said burningunit, hearth means positioned on the bottom of said casing member, doormeans secured to one end of said casing member for access thereinto,shield means mounted in spaced relation around said casing member, anair pipe secured interiorly along each side wall of said casing memberin a horizontal plane adjacent the bottom edge thereof and just abovethe hearth means and extending substantially the axial length of thecasing member and the hearth means, each of said pipes havinghorizontally spaced apertures therein for directing air downwardly andinwardly in the direction of said hearth, the end of each of said pipesremote from the door being connected to a header pipe mounted on theback wall of said casing member, air inlet means secured to said headerfor passing air from the exterior thereinto and exhaust stack meanssecured to the top of said casing member, said exhaust stack meansincluding means for effecting the sequential burning of the wasteproducts of combustion in two vertically spaced burning zones withinsaid stack means.

6. A burning unit for disposing waste material comprising an elongatedair-tight casing member defining the combustion zone of said burningunit, hearth means positioned on the bottom of said casing member, doormeans secured to one end of said casing member for access thereinto,shield means mounted in spaced relation around said casing member, anair pipe secured interiorly along each side Wall of said casing memberin a horizontal plane adjacent the bottom edge thereof and just abovethe hearth means and extending substantially the axial length of saidcasing member and said hearth means, each of said pipes havinghorizontally spaced apertures therein for directing air downwardly andinwardly in the direction of said hearth, the end of each of said pipesremote from the door means being connected to a header pipe mounted onthe back wall of said casing member, air inet means secured to saidheader for passing air from the exterior thereinto and exhaust stackmeans secured to the top of said casing member, an inner stack membersecured at one end to said casing member and an outer stack memberhaving its bottom free end spaced upwardly from and free from engagementwith said casing member and being secured in circumferentially spacedrelation to said inner stack member thereby defining a vertical airpassage therebetween, fuel means and air means adjacent the lower end ofsaid inner stack means to ignite the waste products of combustion in thelower end of said inner stack member and to constitute a first burningzone and the waste products of combustion exiting from said inner stackmember mixing with heated air rising in the formed vertical air passagebeing burned thereabove in the outer stack member to constitute thesecond burning zone.

7. A burning unit for disposing waste material comprising an elongated,air-tight casing member defining the combustion zone of said burningunit, hearth means secured to the bottom of said casing member, doormeans secured to one end of said casing member for providing accessthereinto, shield means mounted in spaced relation around said casingmember, pipe means mounted inside of said casing member in closeproximity to said hearth means and along each side thereof and extendingsubstantially along the axial length of the casing member and the hearthmeans, said pipe means having a plurality of horizontally spacedapertures for directing air downwardly and inwardly in the direction ofsaid hearth means, means for supplying exterior air to said interiorlypositioned air supply means, and exhaust stack means secured to saidcasing member at the top thereof and extending upwardly in a verticalydirection for carrying otf the waste products of combustion, saidexhaust stack means including an inner stack member extending down intothe casing member and being secured thereto in vertical relation, anouter stack member positioned above and free from engagement with thecasing member and being in circumferentially spaced envelopingrelationship with the portion of said inner stack member extending abovethe casing member, said outer stack member being of a length greaterthan said inner stack member, fuel means and air means adjacent thelower end of said inner stack means to ignite the Waste products ofcombustion in the lower end of said inner stack member to constitute afirst burning zone, and the waste products of combustion exiting fromsaid inner stack member mixing with heated air rising in the formedpassageway being burned thereabove in the outer stack member toconstitute the second burning zone.

8. A burning unit for disposing waste material comprising an elongated,air-tight casing member defining the combustion zone of said burningunit, hearth means positioned on the bottom of said casing member, doormeans secured to one end of said casing member for access thereinto,shield means mounted in spaced relation around said casing member, anair pipe secured interiorly along each side wall of said casing memberin a horizontal plane adjacent the bottom edge thereof and just abovethe hearth means and extending substantially the axial length of thecasing member and the hearth means, each of said pipes havinghorizontally spaced apertures therein for directing air downwardly andinwardly in the direction of said hearth, the end of each of said pipesremote from the door being connected to a header pipe mounted on theback wall of said casing member, air inlet means secured to said headerfor passing air from the exterior thereinto and exhaust stack meanssecured to the top of said casing member, an inner stack memberextending down into the casing member and being secured thereto invertical relation, an outer stack member positioned above and free fromengagement with the casing member and in circumferentially spacedenveloping relationship with the portion of said inner stack memberextending above the casing member, said outer stack member being of alength greater than said inner stack member, fuel means and air meansadjacent the lower end of said inner stack means to ignite the wasteproducts of combustion in the lower end of said inner stack members toconstitute a first burning zone, and the waste products of combustionexiting from said inner stack member mixing with heated air rising inthe formed passageway being burned thereabove in the outer stack memberto constitute the second burning zone.

9. A burning unit for disposing waste material comprising an elongatedair-tight casing member defining the combustion Zone of said burningunit, pipe means mounted inside of said casing member along each sideadjacent the lower end thereof and extending substantially the axiallength thereof, said pipe means having a plurality of horizontallyspaced apertures for directing air downwardly and inwardly toward thebottom of said casing member, said air constituting the sole air forsupporting the burning of the waste material with no over-the-fire airbeing present, means for supplying exterior air to said interiorlypositioned pipe means, and exhuast stack means secured to the top ofsaid casing member for carrying oif the waste products of combustion,said exhaust stack means including means for effecting the sequentialburning of the waste products of combustion in two vertically spacedburning zones within said stack means.

10. A burning unit for disposing waste material comprising an elongatedair-tight casing member defining the combustion zone of said burningunit, pipe means mounted inside of said casing member along each sideadjacent the lower end thereof and extending substantially the axiallength thereof, said pipe means having a plurality of horizontallyspaced apertures for directing air downwardly and inwardly toward thebottom of said casing member, means for supplying exterior air to saidinteriorly positioned pipe means, and exhaust stack means secured to thetop of said casing member for carrying off the Waste products ofcombustion, an inner stack member secured at one end of said casingmember and an outer stack member having its bottom free end spacedupwardly from and free from engagement with said casing member and beingsecured in circumferentially spaced relation to said inner stack memberthereby defining a vertical air passage therebetween, fuel means and airmeans adjacent the lower end of said inner stack means to ignite thewaste products of combustion in the lower end of said inner stack memberand to constitute a first burning zone, and the waste products ofcombustion exiting from said inner stack member mixing with heated airrising in the formed passageway being burned thereabove in the outerstack member to constitute the second burning zone.

11. A burning unit for disposing waste material comprising an elongatedair-tight casing member defining the combustion zone of said burningunit, pipe means mounted inside of said casing member along each sideadjacent the lower end thereof and extending substantially the axiallength thereof, said pipe means having a plurality of horizontallyspaced apertures for directing air downwardly and inwardly toward thebottom of said casing member, means for supplying exterior air tointeriorly positioned said pipe means and exhaust stack means secured tothe top of said casing member for carrying ofi the waste products ofcombustion, an inner stack member extending down into the casing memberand being secured thereto in vertical relation, an outer stack memberpositioned above and free from engagement with the casing member and incircumferentially spaced enveloping relationship with the portion ofsaid inner stack member extending above the casing member, said outerstack member being of a length greater than said inner stack member,fuel means and air means adjacent the lower end of said inner stackmeans to ignite the waste products of combustion in the lower end ofsaid inner stack member to constitute a first burning zone, and thewaste products of combustion exiting from said inner stack member mixingwith heated air rising in the formed passageway being burned thereabovein the outer stack member to constitute the second burning zone.

12. A burning unit for disposing waste material comprising an elongated,air-tight casing member defining the combustion zone of said burningunit, hearth means positioned on the bottom of said casing member, doormeans secured to one end of said casing member for access thereinto,shield means mounted in spaced relation around said casing member, anair pipe secured along each side wall of said casing member in ahorizontal plane adjacent the bottom edge thereof and just above thehearth means and extending substantially the axial length of said casingmember and said hearth means, each of said pipes having horizontallyspaced apertures therein for directing air downwardly and inwardly inthe direction of said hearth, the end of each of said pipes remote fromthe door means being connected to a header pipe mounted on the back Wallof said casing member, air passage means mounted on the outside face ofsaid inner casing member in vertical rela tionship and being operativelyconnected at its lower end to said header means, blower means secured tothe other end of said air passage means for imparting air thereinto, andexhaust stack means secured to the top of said casing member, saidexhaust stack means including means for eifecting the sequential burningof the waste products of combustion in two vertically spaced burningzones within said stack means.

13. A burner unit in accordance with claim 6, wherein pipe means aresecured to the inside face of the rear wall of said casing member andjust below and in vertical alignment with said inner stack member, saidpipe means having air supply means for mixing air with the wasteproducts of combustion.

14. A burner unit in accordance with claim 7, wherein pipe means aresecured to the inside face of the rear Wall of said casing member andjust below and in vertical alignment with said inner stack member, saidpipe means having air supply means for mixing air with the Wasteproducts of combustion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 398,671 2/89 Teed-8 1,952,010 3/34 Gregory et al. 110-8 2,811,937 11/57 Bouchard 110-82,936,724 5/60 Bishop 110-18 3,051,100 8/62 Singleton 110-8 3,068,81212/62 Henson 110-8 3,071,264 1/ 63 Totaro et al. 214-82 3,074,571 1/63Dean 214-82 JAMES W. WESTHAVER, Primary Examiner.

JOHN J. CAMBY, Examiner.

1. A BURNING UNIT FOR DISPOSING WASTE MATERIAL COMPRISING AN ELONGATEDAIR-TIGHT CASING MEMBER DEFINING THE COMBUSTION ZONE OF SAID BURNINGUNIT, PIPE MEANS MOUNTED INSIDE OF SAID CASING MEMBER ALONG EACH SIDEADJACENT THE LOWER END THEREOF AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THE AXIALLENGTH THEREOF, SAID PIPE MEANS HAVING A PLURALITY OF HORIZONTALLYTOWARD THE BOTTOM OF SAID CASING MEMBER, MEANS INWARDLY TOWARD THEBOTTOM OF SAID CASING MEMBER, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING EXTERIOR AIR TO SAIDINTERIORLY POSITIONED PIPE MEANS AND EXHAUST STACK MEANS SECURED TO THETOP OF SAID CASING MEMBER FOR CARRYI/NG OFF THE WASTE PRODUCTS OFCOMBUSTION, SAID ERXHAUST STACK MERANS INCLUDING MEANS FOR EFFECTING THESEQUENTIAL BURNING OF THE WASTE PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION IN TWO VERTICALLYSPACED BURNING ZONES WITHIN SAID STACK MEANS.